Corvette SS at Sebring Race Day 1957

The Chevrolet Corvette ‘SS’ is an experimental magnesium-bodied car and set a new lap record at Sebring, Florida, in 1957. It has served as the forerunner of many Corvette sports/racing models.

The Corvette SS raced for the first time at Sebring, where suspension problems and other mechanical defects forced its retirement after only 23 laps. General Motors was enthusiastic about the potential of the SS based on results from practice and lap speeds.

Juan Manuel Fangio, the winner at Sebring in 1957, was impressed enough with the car to test the SS under practice conditions. The results was astonishing: Fangio completed a full lap a full 3:27.4 seconds faster in a car he had never driven before than other drivers could in cars they were experienced driving.